Volatile Organic Compounds as Biomarkers of Malignant Melanoma
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Volatile Organic Compounds as Potential Biomarkers of Malignant Melanoma: Detection by Canine Olfaction and Chemical Analysis
IRAS ID
133297
Contact name
Carolyn M Willis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Research summary
Malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, and can be fatal if left untreated. Currently, diagnosis is based primarily on visual appearance, which is subjective and prone to error. This study is designed to see whether odour can be used as the basis of a new, objective, non-invasive, diagnostic approach to melanoma.
Odours are composed of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and for centuries it has been known that characteristic odours or patterns of VOCs in the breath or urine, for example, are associated with certain diseases, e.g. diabetes. More recently, findings by ourselves and others have suggested that this may also be true for some cancers. Using a parallel approach of trained sniffer dogs combined with analytical chemistry, we hope to determine whether melanoma releases a different VOC profile to that of normal healthy skin and of less serious skin cancers (e.g. basal cell carcinoma) and benign pigmented skin lesions (e.g. moles).
Samples of the gases released from the skin immediately above lesions, and from healthy skin at similar sites, will be collected from participants, and used both to train the dogs, and for gas spectrometry-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and the evaluation of a gaseous detector array (known as an ‘electronic nose’). Once trained, the dogs will be double-blind tested for their accuracy in detecting melanoma, with mathematical models being developed to test the accuracy of GC/MS and the electronic nose. For both approaches, the goal is to recognise a specific pattern of VOCs for melanoma, as distinct from non- melanoma lesions, against a background of normal skin smells related to physiological processes, such as sweating, and the use of personal products. If this does prove to be possible, it will open the door to the development of a novel, non- invasive diagnostic instrument for melanoma.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1491
Date of REC Opinion
24 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion